Jack Grealish returned to the England squad last month when Lee Carsley recalled the 29-year-old to the Three Lions set-up.
Grealish has enjoyed a productive start to the new campaign, featuring in all but one of City’s eight matches for this season, while he started both of England’s Nation League victories last month.
Off the pitch, he has become a father, but as he prepares for England’s matches against Greece and Finland, Grealish has reflected on how this summer was one of the most ‘difficult’ periods of his life.
Jack Grealish breaks silence on Euro 2024 omission
Grealish was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad in the summer, with the winger being initially named in the former England boss’s provision squad before failing to make the final 26-man selection.
The former Aston Villa man had to watch the Three Lions passage to the final in Germany on TV and he firmly believes that Southgate’s decision to overlook him was the wrong one.
“I will be honest with you – I didn’t really agree with it,” Grealish told the BBC. While he admitted that he “didn’t have the best season” at City, he added: “You need a bit of a balance in every position on the pitch and I class myself [as] quite an experienced player now.
“I have won a lot of stuff now so, you asked me should I have gone, yes, I still think I should have, but obviously it wasn’t meant to be.”
Southgate stood down in the wake of the defeat to Spain in the final, with interim boss Carsley reinstating Grealish in the Three Lions set-up when he selected his first squad last month.
Grealish started in the wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, scoring against the former, and has retained his place in the squad, as he admitted that his Euro 2024 snub meant he had a point to prove.
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“Of course, I wanted to come here and train well and play well,” he continued. “I thank the manager, Lee Carsley, for giving me that chance and having that trust in me.”
“It obviously really meant a lot. I think throughout my career when I have played under managers who have shown trust in me and communicated with me the way he has the last two camps, it really helps me.
“It makes me feel that the manager really does rate me, and I can’t speak highly enough of him since I have been here.”
